Monday, June 27, 2011

Fauvist Dog Portraits

I've done my fair share of commissioned dog portraits. They are straightforward and detailed pastels. But I really love the expressive pet portraits of artists like Carrie Jacobson.

My sister-in-law is on the board of directors for the SPCA of Northern Nevada (Reno's only no-kill animal shelter.) I thought it would be great to use my student's artwork towards a fundraising purpose or at the very least, compose prints of their art into a poster to give to the shelter. So my 4th-6th graders used a very cute terrier-mix, Sebastian (one of the shelter's adoptable dogs), as their model. They were encouraged to use analogous colors (colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel) to paint their pooch. We talked about trying to emulate Jacobson's expressive brush strokes. I think each painting has great personality. Well done all of you!

I love the idea of creating something for a poster to raise money for the shelter. This shows kids the importance of contributing one's talents to society (besides the school auction which I detest!) . I would like to do something like this with my after school classes. Do you have any suggestions?

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About Mary

Thanks for stopping by MaryMaking! I'm a SCAD grad with a B.F.A. in Graphic Design. I've worked in advertising and as a fine artist. I decided to combine two of my biggest loves, art and kids, and began teaching private art classes. I Love helping children create beautiful artwork. This blog has been a great way to exchange ideas with other art educators and share student art.